The Mysteries of Haditha
A Memoir
by M. C. Armstrong
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Pub Date Sep 01 2020 | Archive Date Sep 15 2020
University of Nebraska Press | Potomac Books
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Description
Armstrong’s searing memories about his relationship with his father, his fiancé, and his SEAL team companion take the reader on a nosedive ride from a historically Black college in the American South straight into Baghdad, the burn pits, and the desert beyond the mysterious Haditha dam. Culminating in the disclosure of a devastating secret, The Mysteries of Haditha explores the lengths Armstrong was willing to go to prove himself and to witness a truth he couldn’t have prepared himself to receive. At once daring, dark, and hilarious, this memoir of Armstrong’s journey pulls no punches and lifts the veil on the lies we tell each other and the ones we tell ourselves. The Mysteries of Haditha is a coming-of-age story and an unprecedented glimpse into the heart of the war on terror.
Advance Praise
“What makes M. C. Armstrong’s The Mysteries of Haditha so compelling is . . . its headlong, fast-burning soul search for the truth. Honest and aware, Armstrong’s memoir records the rhythms of a consciousness at once personal and political, consumed by past failures but buoyed onward by an unquenchable desire for understanding.”—Michael Parker, author of Prairie Fever
“The Mysteries of Haditha is a unique and fascinating book. . . . This memoir is an account of the complex mixture of motives that led M. C. Armstrong [to Iraq], as well as his attempt to make sense of a war that was rapidly changing around him, and ever obscured by a haze of glamour and horror, masculine posturing, and political machinations.”—Phil Klay, author of Redeployment, winner of the National Book Award
“I’ve never read a book that so thoroughly embodies E. M. Forster’s advice to only connect. A riveting, heartbreaking, hilarious story of loss and discovery, The Mysteries of Haditha is the rare memoir you can and should give to anyone, friend or stranger.”—James Tate Hill, author of Academy Gothic
“Riveting, sometimes madcap, often quite funny, heartbreaking, educational and deeply humane, perhaps the greatest gift of The Mysteries of Haditha is its reminder of our shared humanity, its careful attention to the marvelous uniqueness of the human soul, and the tenacity of love.”—Andria Williams, author of The Longest Night
“The Mysteries of Haditha is far more than another Iraq war memoir. Combining the travelogue, combat-zone journalism, the exposé, and autobiography, Armstrong’s is a story of stories—a war of worlds as well as of narratives and genres, whose main casualties are hypocrisy, venality, and singlemindedness.”—Christian Moraru, author of Reading for the Planet: Toward a Geomethodology
“In this unflinching narrative, Armstrong reveals the depth and breadth of his commitment to discovering firsthand what most Americans aren’t willing to acknowledge about war—the existence of humanity within our enemy. In doing so, Armstrong shares a war story unlike any other.”—Tracy Crow, author of On Point: A Guide to Writing the Military Story
“As revealing as a bomb blast, not only of war and the past, but of the lies we tell ourselves as human beings. The Mysteries of Haditha is a deadly combination of experience and exposé, written by one who has seen war firsthand and who works to uncover all its hidden secrets.”—Paul Crenshaw, veteran and author of This We’ll Defend
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781640123021 |
| PRICE | $27.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 192 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Taylor J, Educator
Great writing and strong voice. Recommend if looking for a story that is as captivating as it is well-written.
Hilary S, Reviewer
Armstrong writes about his experience being embedded with a military unit in Iraq. An American college professor and journalist, Armstrong sets out to discover the truth about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and whether or not the United States was justified in entering Iraq. Armstrong also weaves stories of his own childhood, family, and past relationships into this book.
At times I found the novel to be an intriguing look into the United State’s involvement in the War, but other times found his writing disjointed and hard to follow. A lot of the book seems to be based on the author’s opinions instead of facts.
Grace M, Reviewer
I enjoyed Armstrong's strong narrative voice as he wrote about his experiences in Iraq. It was refreshing to see a writer so openly honest about his own perspectives and things in his past that influenced his understanding of the 'enemy', and how media representations of war and similar events can often be biased. It would have been nice to have more of the story rooted in facts, or for statements that are facts to be made clearer and separated from what is just his own opinion.
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